Netflix’s New Crime Thriller Will Brutally Flip Every Reacher Rule
A new crime thriller is all set to premiere on Netflix soon, and it will brutally flip every rule Prime Video's Reacher has established for the genre. Like Reacher, the upcoming Netflix show in question is also based on a bestselling book series. If it performs well, Netflix could potentially have a massive TV franchise under its belt that could last as long as Reacher and Bosch. The source material for the series has also previously been adapted for the big screen, but like the Jack Reacher movies, the film adaptation did not leave its mark. Despite sharing quite a few similarities with Reacher, though, the Netflix crime thriller has all the right ingredients to etch its own identity in the genre.
Netflix’s New Detective Thriller Will Be Reacher's Anti-Thesis
Netflix's adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole novels is all set to premiere on March 26, 2026. Similar to Jack Reacher, the titular detective, Harry Hole, in the series is portrayed as a loner with exceptional deductive abilities. However, in terms of other traits, he is nothing like the Alan Ritchson character. If Jack Reacher is a disciplined, nomadic force of justice, Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole is a chaotic, self-destructive detective driven by addiction and obsession. As the upcoming Netflix show's trailer establishes, it will capture Detective Hole's alcoholism and struggles with compulsive need to chase killers even when it costs him everything. Check out the trailer below:
Another major distinction between Harry Hole and Jack Reacher is that Reacher is almost always portrayed as this nearly invincible force who uses his sheer strength to get himself out of rough situations. Harry Hole, too, gets involved in many a fist fight, but, unlike Reacher, he does not always win. Owing to this, he carries the scars of many lost brawls and battles. Before leaving a town and embracing the open road again, Reacher almost always leaves it a better place by resolving local crime. Harry Hole's intentions are also in the right place, but he cannot help but leaves some kind of devastation in his wake. Detective Hole is the perfect Jack Reacher anti-thesis and seems more similar to True Detective's Rust Cohle.
Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole Is Exactly What The Crime Thriller Genre Needs Right Now
Almost all crime thrillers seem to tread the same path as Reacher, where stoic, hyper-competent protagonists move from case to case with unwavering moral clarity. Some of the more nuanced ones, like Bosch, feature protagonists that have inner demons, but they shy away from fully embracing the darker traits of their main characters.
Netflix's take on Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole will seemingly defy the norm and portray a more morally ambiguous detective protagonist. This will seemingly bring something new to the table. While only time will tell whether Netflix's Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole will have the same cultural impact as Reacher, it already seems promising. The original book series' author, Jo Nesbø, is the show's main writer, and even its cast is led by talented actors like Tobias Santelmann and Joel Kinnaman.
